52,,  }Lf\  7  2- 

Srom  f  ^e  fei6rari?  of 

qf)rofe60or  nTiffiam  (gXimr  (J)a;rton,  ©.©.,  fefe.©. 

^eeenteb  fig  (glrB.  ^arfon 

fo  t^e  &i6rarg  of 

(Princeton  C6^ofoa;tcaf  ^eminarg 

BX  9225  .L47  15  1873 

In  memory  of  Joseph  W. 
Lester 


LIBRARY  OF  PRINCETON 


MAR  2  I  2005 


THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 


IN     MEMORY 


OF 


\^y 


JOSEPH    W.  LESTER 


August,    1873 


"Champion  of  Jesus,  man  of  God, 
Servant  of  Christ,   well  done  ! 
Thy  path  of  thorns  hath  now  been  trod, 
Thy  red  cross  crown  is  won." 


Joseph  William  Lester  was  born  at  Norwich,  Conn.,  September  5th, 
1822,  and  died  at  his  home  in  New  Rochelle,  N.  Y.,  August  8th,  1873,  in 
the  51st  year  of  his  age. 


-'\ 


Mr.  Simeon  Lester,  the  father  of  Mr.  Lester,  is  now 
']']  years  of  age.  Through  him  he  was  a  descendant,  in 
about  the  fifteenth  generation,  from  Sir  Nicholas  Leicester, 
of  the  County  of  Cheshire,  England,  a  knight  in  the  thir- 
teenth century. 

The  family  emigrated  to  New  England  early  in  the 
eighteenth  centuiy,  and  from  that  time  the  name  was 
written  Lester.  They  settled  in  New  London  County, 
Connecticut,  where  some  of  the  descendants  still  live.  The 
grandfather  of  Mr.  Lester  (William  Lester)  served  in 
the  Revolution,  under  Col.  Ledyard,  at  Groton  Fort. 
Fifteen  to  twenty  relatives  of  the  family  were  killed  in  the 
capture  of  this  fort. 

Mr.  Lester's  father  was  born  in  Norwich,  Connecticut, 
in  1796,  and  in  1825  (Joseph  then  being  a  child  two  years 
old)  moved  to  New  Rochelle,  Westchester  County,  N.  Y., 
where  he  still  resides,  an  honored  elder  in  the  Church,  and 
a  bright  example  of  an  upright  Christian  life  to  all  about 
him.  He  has  been  a  successful  farmer.  There  were  born 
to  him  eight  children,  six  boys  and  two  girls,  of  whom 
the  subject  of  the  present  narrative  was  the  oldest.  The 
youngest,  David  Brainerd  Lester,  is  the  only  child  now 
living-.     He  was  associated  with  his  brother  in  business. 


Marked  elements  in  the  character  of  the  Lesters  are, 
persistency  in  a  purpose,  and  strong  adherence  to  a  principle. 
These  characteristics  were  most  prominent  in  Joseph  W. 
Lester. 

The  mother  of  Mr.  Lester  was  Miss  Hannah  Maria 
Brewster.  She  was  born  at  Preston,  Connecticut,  February 
6th,  1795,  and  died  at  her  home  in  New  Rochelle,  June 
1 2th,  1865,  at  the  age  of  70,  after  a  most  exemplary 
Christian  life.  Through  her,  he  was  a  descendant,  in  the 
seventh  generation,  from  Elder  William  Brewster,  who 
came  to  New  England  in  the  "  May  Flower." 

At  one  time,  during  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  Elder 
Brewster  was  one  of  the  under  Secretaries  of  State.  A  church 
was  formed  in  his  own  house ;  there  they  were  accustomed 
to  worship,  and  he  was  most  liberal  in  its  support.  This 
church  emigrated  to  Holland,  and  afterwards  to  New 
England.  He  was  also  one  of  the  prime  founders  of  the 
Plymouth  Colony.  In  all  its  early  history,  he  was  the 
chief  mover  in  ecclesiastical  affairs.  As  a  man,  he  was 
social,  unobtrusive,  enterprising,  kind  and  generous  to  the 
poor  and  godly ;  he  was  one  of  the  most  popular  and 
efficient  men  in  the  Old   Colony. 

In  many  of  his  characteristics,  Elder  Lester  strikingly 
resembled  his  renowned  ancestor. 


.  [The  following  Address  was  delivered  in  the  Allen  Street  Presbyterian 
Church,  New  York  City,  by  Rev.  W.  W.  Newell,  D.  D.,  pastor  of  the 
Church,    December  14th,    1873]. 


I  STAND  here  to-day  a  stricken  mourner.  There 
Is  a  weight  upon  my  spirit ;  there  is  a  grief  in  my 
heart.  I  feel  the  awe  and  solemnity  of  death. 
This  vacant  seat  appals  me ;  this  absence  stuns 
me  ;  these  bereaved  relatives  and  friends  oppress 
me.  Our  senior  elder,  our  loving  and  beloved 
brother,  is  gone.  He  has  passed  the  river  of  death, 
never  to  return. 

On  the  28th  of  July,  I  saw  Mr.  Lester  at  his 
country  house  in  New  Rochelle.  We  all  expected 
his  recovery.  I  went  immediately  to  Grand  Isle,  in 
the  northern  part  of  Lake  Champlain.  There  I 
was  seriously  ill.  Late  one  evening  a  messenger 
from  the  main  land  handed  in  a  telep^ram.  As  I 
read  the  fatal  words,  "Father  died  last  night,"  I 
dropped  the  paper,  and  sank  down  under  the  power 
of  a  shock  which  I  shall  never  forget.  It  was  dark 
around  me. 


8 


It  seemed  like  the  gloom  of  that  day  in 
August,  just  six  years  before,  when  I  was  lying 
by  the  side  of  my  smitten  dead.  He  and  his 
companion  were  the  first  to  come  to  me  then. 
Now,  as  then,  he  seemed  to  be  walking  at  the 
foot  of  my  bed,  saying  as  he  walked,  "  God  has 
done  it,  God  has  done  it."  I  felt  that  I  must  go 
to  you.  I  only  asked  to  sit  down  among  you  and 
share  your  grief.  But  I  knew  that  I  could  not. 
Oh !  the  anguish  of  that  night.  For  almost  fourteen 
years  we  had  loved  and  prayed  and  wept  and 
struggled  together  for  Jesus  and  the  lost.  In  all 
that  time  his  kindness  to  me  had  never  wearied ; 
my  confidence  in  him  had  never  wavered.  I  had 
tried  him  in  the  light  and  in  the  darkness.  I  loved 
him.  I  built  upon  him.  I  realized  what  he  was 
to  me,  to  this  church,  and  to  the  world.  With  a 
bound  I  sprang  forward  to  my  life  work,  inspired  by 
the  assurance  that  he  was  wishing  me  God  speed. 

As  the  hour  of  his  burial  came,  I  seemed  to 
see  the  coffined  form  ;  the  full  church  and  the 
measured  tread,  bearino-  him  to  the  erave.  But, 
dearly     beloved     friends,    there     was     no     lack     of 


mourners ;  for  I  learn  that  firms  composed  of  a 
hundred  men  closed  their  stores,  and  that  five 
hundred  persons  went  out  from  the  city,  and  that 
the  people  gathered  from  the  surrounding  country, 
reminding  us  of  the  prophecy  of  Amos,  "Wailing 
shall  be  in  all  the  streets ;  and  they  shall  say  in 
all  the   highways,    alas  !    alas  !  " 

This  funeral  of  our  brother  has  called  to  mind 
the  scene  described  in  the  2d  verse  of  the  8th 
chapter  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  : 

"And  devout  men  carried  Stephen  to  his  burial,  and  made  great  lamen- 
tation over  him." 

And  there  were  certainly  resemblances  in  some 
of  the  characteristics  of  Stephen  and  our  departed 
brother. 

But  as  my  object  is  not  a  sermon,  but  a  memorial 
address,  I  will  make  no  minute  comparisons.  I 
will  merely  say,  in  passing,  that  Stephen  was  a 
deacon  of  the  church,  who  distributed  to  the  wants 
of  the  poor.  He  was  a  good  man,  and  a  man 
of  force,  "full  of  faith  and  power."  He  reproved 
the    wicked    and    stood   by  the   right.     He  gave  his 


lO 

life  for  the  truth,  as  it  is  in  Jesus  ;  forgave  his 
enemies,  and  died  a  triumphant  death, 

I  am  to  speak  to  you  now  of  the  hfe  of  Mr. 
Lester  ;  not  because  he  needs  our  commendation, 
but  because  we  need  the  stimulus  of  his  example. 
It  will  encourage  us  to  find  that  we  may  reach 
after  the  standard  and  even  attain  to  some  of  the 
characteristics  of  Stephen,  that  martyred  associate 
of  the  Apostles. 

Mr.  Lester  was  a  man  of  tremendous  energy, 
of  great  promptness  of  action,  and  of  remarkable 
persistence.  He  had  a  vigorous  body,  with  all 
the  life  and  spirits  of  a  boy.  His  industry  was 
prodigious  ;  yet  he  never  seemed  weary.  He 
was  the  last  man  whom  you  would  expect  to 
outlive.  Gifted  with  a  magnetic  power,  his  man- 
ner was  so  genial  and  hearty,  so  cheerful  and 
candid,  that  people  of  all  conditions  were  attracted 
to  him. 

In  January,  i860,  I  accepted  a  call  to  this  church, 
I  had  traveled  alone  some  300  miles,  in  the  chill 
winter.  I  was  full  of  anxieties  for  the  future.  The 
cars    reached    the    city  late    in    the    evening.      Long 


II 


before  they  stopped,  the  car  door  opened,  and  Mr. 
Lester  rushed  up  to  me  with  a  greeting  so  hearty 
and  a  welcome  so  enthusiastic,  that  my  soul  was 
instandy  drawn  to  him  ;  my  fears  were  gone.  Swift 
horses  brought  us  to  his  cheerful  dwelling,  where 
friends  were  celebrating  the  anniversary  of  his  wed- 
ding. From  that  day,  I  have  always  received  at 
his  house  the  same  hearty  welcome. 

The  young  people  of  the  church  were  won  to  him. 
He  was  one  of  them.  Business  men  were  enthu- 
siasdc  in  their  admiradon  of  him.  Persons  with  the 
slightest  possible  acquaintance  were  attracted  by  him. 

He  was  a  man  of  strict  integrity  and  inspired 
in  others  the  most  perfect  confidence.  He  was  one 
whom  men  loved  to  name  in  their  wills  as  guardian 
of  their  children  or  administrator  of  their  estates. 

Said  an  old  business  friend  of  his,  "Mr.  Lester 
is  my  ideal  of  a  man.  I  have  referred  to  him  an 
hundred  times  as  one  whose  integrity  of  heart  was 
so  visible  in  his  face,  that  every  person  must  be 
inspired  with  it." 

He  was  a  godly  man.  He  was  trained  to  all 
that  was  good   by  an    honest,  honorable   and   godly 


12 

father,  and  by  a  loving,  refined  and  Christ-like 
mother ;  and  yet  he  felt  that  he  must  be  trans- 
formed. He  knew  that  saints  might  rock  his 
cradle  and  that  angels  might  guard  his  tottering 
steps,  and  yet  that  he  must  be  born  again. 

Mr.  Christopher  R.  Robert  writes  to  his  wife :  "  I 
remember  you  and  Joseph  when  you  were  children  ; 
joyous  and  happy,  but  without  God.  He  called  you 
out  of  darkness  into  His  marvellous  light,  leaving 
many  of  your  classmates  to  perish  in  their  sins." 

As  his  whole  earth-life  and  heaven-life  hinged 
upon  this  moment  of  his  history,  let  me  add  to  this 
testimony  of  Mr.  Robert,  and  tell  you  how  he 
described  the  circumstances  to  me.  "I  was  anxious," 
he  said,  "about  .my  soul,  but  saw  no  way  to  be 
converted.  A  Christian  friend  said  to  me  one  day, 
'  Will  you  serve  God  ?'  Yes,  with  His  help,  I  will. 
'Will  you  give  up  your  sins  and  trust  in  Jesus?' 
Yes,  I  do ;"  and  then  he  added,  "  From  that  moment 
to  this,  I  have  been  trying  to  trust  and  serve  the 
Lord."  Oh !  how  simple,  how  easy  this  turning 
point,  and  yet  how  stupendous  the  results.  His 
conversion    to    Christ  was    not  so    much   a   gush  of 


13 

tenderness  as  a  settled,  deep-rooted  purpose  to  fear 
and  love  and  serve  the  Lord.  Where  is  the  young 
man   that  will   not  do   likewise  ? 

Dr.  Asa  D.  Smith,  president  of  Dartmouth  College, 
writes  me :  "  Your  letter  has  touched  one  of  the 
\  tenderest  chords  of  memory  in  my  heart.  It  brings 
before  me  afresh  those  years  of  our  dear  departed 
brother  Lester's  life,  with  which  I  was  familiar  in 
the  old  Brainard  church.  I  remember  him  as  a 
boy  in  the  family  of  his  uncle,  that  noble  servant 
of  Christ,  Joseph  Brewster.  It  has  always  seemed 
to  me  that  his  uncle's  mantle  fell  upon  him.  When 
twenty  years  old  he  entered  our  Sabbath  School 
as  a  teacher,  and  was  soon  after  converted.  The  old 
Brainard  church  register  is  before  me,  and  I  read  : 
'  Joseph  W.  Lester,  baptized  in  infancy ;  received 
May  28th,  1843.'"  His  companion  united  with  the 
church  at  the  same  time.  "  From  the  vows  he  then 
took  upon  himself,  who  ever  knew  him  to  swerve, 
in  all  the  thirty  years  of  service  that  followed  ?  I 
remember  his  fidelity  to  the  church.  I  remember 
his  touching  kindness  to  me  in  a  protracted  illness. 
When  my  church   moved   to  the   Second  Avenue,  I 


H 

was  sorry  to  part  with  him,  but  I  rejoiced  in  the 
ofood  which  I  knew  he  would  do  in  Allen  Street. 
For  frankness  and  guilelessness,  for  singleness  of 
purpose,  for  earnestness,  energy  and  quiet  persist- 
ence in  his  Master's  work  ;  for  all  the  qualities  that 
could  render  him  a  help  to  his  pastor  and  a  bless- 
ing to  the   church,   I   have  seldom  met  his   like." 

To  this  striking  description  of  Dr.  Smith's,  I  will 
add,  that  he  not  only  walked  in  the  steps  of  Joseph 
Brewster,  his  uncle,  but,  as  I  have  often  remarked, 
there  was  a  wonderful  resemblance  between  him 
and  Elder  William  Brewster,  of  the  "  May  Flower," 
from  whom  he  was  a  descendant,  in  the  seventh 
generation.  They  were  both  remarkable  for  the 
same  cheerful,  genial  manner,  and  the  courageous, 
persistent,  self-denying  devotion  to  the  service  of 
God,  and  to   the   upbuilding  of   His   Church, 

"  They  belonged  to  Christ's  chivalry." 

He  was  remarkable  for  his  general  benevolence. 
It  seemed  natural  to  him  to  devise  liberal  things. 
It  was  not  only  a  purpose,  but  a  pleasure.  Some- 
times he   spent  more    than    one-tenth  of  his   yearly 


17 

Intuitively  alive  to  signs  of  suffering,  his  very 
presence  brought  relief  and  hope. 

He  was  a  peace-maker.  His  good  sense  and 
hearty  good-will  made  him  very  efficient  in  setdino- 
disputes.  Though  faithful  in  reproving  others,  he 
could  acknowledge  his  own  errors.  A  brother  in 
the  church  recendy  said  of  him,  "  I  never  loved 
that  man  as  I  do  now.  Last  evening  we  differed 
upon  an  important  matter.  This  morning  he  came 
all  this  long  distance,  before  breakfast.  Taking  my 
hand,  in  his  hearty  way,  he  said,  'I  am  afraid  I 
spoke  too  warmly  last  night.     You  will  forgive  it.'  " 

He  was  a  self-denying,  reliable  man.  "His  words 
were  bonds,  his  oaths  were  oracles."  The  business 
community  regarded  him  as  a  prompt,  energetic, 
and  stricdy  upright  man.  The  ungodly  looked  upon 
him  with  profound  respect.  How  many  a  man  has 
said  to  me,  "  I  would  like  to  be  religious,  if  I  could 
be  such  a  christian  as  he  is."  In  him  relieion  and 
business   were   beautifully  harmonized. 

He  was  reliable  in  his  family.  Few  men  ever 
did  more  to  make  home  a  sweet  and  well  ordered 
household.       How  they  watched  for  his  well  known 


i8 

footstep,  and  how  they  were  enhvened  by  his  coming. 
It  was  a  home  of  culture  and  comfort,  of  peace  and 
prayer,  of  love  and  hospitality.  Duringr  almost  27 
years,  no  black  cloud  ever  hung  over  it.  Said  his 
companion  to  me  once,  "  Our  pathway  has  always 
been   in   the   sunlight." 

He  was  reliable  in  the  church.  He  was  a  pillar 
there.  While  such  crowds  were  seeking  more  con- 
genial homes,  he  and  his  united  household  wouki 
not  remove  from  the  bounds  of  the  parish.  They 
denied  themselves  for  the  church.  He  died  leaving 
a  dwelling  within  four  blocks  of  this  place.  His 
pastor  could  rely  upon  his  presence  and  his  prayers 
upon  the  Sabbath.  He  had  a  pleasant  greeting  and 
a  cordial  welcome  for  strangers  in  the  sanctuary. 

He  was  reliable  in  the  prayer  meeting.  He  was 
there  promptly,  and  was  always  ready  to  take  his 
share  of  the  exercises.  He  would  sometimes  do  a 
large  business  in  town,  rush  out  to  his  country 
house  in  New  Rochelle,  and  then  come  into  the 
prayer  meeting  without  his  evening  meal.  There, 
forgetting  all  worldly  cares,  he  would  speak  or 
pray  with  an    earnestness  and  point  that  was  most 


19 

refreshing.  One  of  the  last  times  he  was  in  that 
meeting-,  he  spoke  of  the  place  as  one  of  the  most 
sweet  and  precious  to  him  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 

He  was  reliable  in  the  Sabbath  School.  Thirty 
years  ago  he  became  a  teacher.  For  a  long  time 
he  had  a  flourishing  Bible  class  of  young  men. 
For  the  last  eight  years  he  has  been  a  most  enthu- 
siastic, popular  and  successful  superintendent  of  our 
parish  school. 

He  was  reliable  as  a  friend  and  an  adviser. 
There  seemed  to  be  no  end  to  the  persons  who 
revealed  to  him  their  circumstances  and  asked  his 
opinion. 

For  years  my  companion  and  myself  joined  him 
and  his  family  at  the  Saturday  evening  meal.  There, 
after  the  rush  of  New  York  life  had  subsided,  we 
would  spend  a  delightful  hour  in  social  communings 
and  in  earnest  deliberations  about  the  interests  of 
the  church. 

But  the  crowning  achievement  of  his  life  was 
his  labor  for  the  conversion  of  men.  He  was  an 
ardent  worker  in  revivals  of  religion.  The  thought 
of  saving  the  lost  fired  his  soul.      It  awakened  his 


20 

noblest  impulses  and  his  loftiest  efforts.  To  him 
"the  soul  of  man  was  larger  than  the  sky  and 
deeper  than  the  ocean."  To  save  that  soul  was 
with  him  a  business — a  business  of  transcendent 
importance.  He  was  anything  but  an  ascetic,  or  a 
formalist,  or  a  fanatic.  To  others  he  represented 
the  service  of  God  as  the  most  cheerful  and  honor- 
able thing  in  the  universe.  He  was  judicious.  He 
had  such  a  loathing  of  all  pretences,  that  he  was 
conservative  in  reference  to  revival  measures.  He 
approved  of  the  pointed  word  of  God,  the  power 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  such  simple  measures  as 
the  state  of  feeling  demanded.  Sometimes  he  would 
visit  the  impenitent  in  passing  home  from  his  day's 
business.  Sometimes  the  anxious  would  linger  after 
a  service  or  a  prayer  meeting;  at  such  times  our 
prayers,  instructions  and  tears  were  often  blessed 
of  God,  and  we  had  delightful  hope  that  souls  had 
yielded  to  Christ.  It  was  in  passing  away  from 
such  scenes,  that  we  experienced  together  some 
of  the  loftiest  joys  of  life.  It  was  almost  heaven. 
Christ  and  the  angels  were  very  near — we  could 
almost  catch  a  strain  of  joy  over  repentant  souls. 


21 


He  was  cautious  in  receiving  persons  into  the 
church  from  the  world. 

He  was  a  ministerial  man.  He  did  not  sustain 
his  pastor  in  the  wrong,  but  honored  his  position. 
In  late  years,  when  measures  for  the  promotion 
of  religion  were  proposed  to  the  session,  he  would 
often  remark,  "The  whole  field  is  familiar  to  our 
pastor  ;  I  move  that  it  be  left  to  his  judgment." 
In  leaving  the  church  on  the  Sabbath,  he  would 
often  give  his  pastor  a  cheering  word  in  reference 
to  the  services.  During  his  illness,  he  referred  with 
much  emotion  to  the  benefit  which  he  himself  had 
received  from  the  Allen  Street  church. 

He  was  a  great  man.  He  had  not  the  fancy  or 
Imagination  or  the  literary  culture  of  a  poet  or  a 
novelist ;  but  he  knew  how  to  deal  with  men  and  with 
things.  He  knew  how  to  reject  shams,  and  how  to 
cherish  realities.  His  executive  ability  was  remark- 
able. He  was  a  live  man.  He  seemed  to  decide 
things  by  intuition,  and  then  pressed  on  his  projects 
with  an  impetus  and  a  persistence  that  was  sometimes 
heroic.  He  was  not  always  right,  but  he  decided 
well  according  to  the  knowledge  within  his  reach. 


22 

He  had  a  purpose  in  life  ;  upon  this  purpose  he 
concentrated  his  powers.  It  was  no  single  per- 
formance. He  set  his  face,  as  a  flint,  upon  the 
service  of  God  and  the  benefit  of  his  fellow  men, 
and,  with  God's  help,  he  has  left  behind  him  deep 
furrows  of  benign  influence.  He  was  a  vital  force 
in  the  rig-ht  direction.  He  was  a  success.  This  I 
call  great.  From  small  beginnings  he  built  up  a 
large  and  successful  wholesale  business.  This  he 
transacted  for  God. 

He  did  his  best  to  sustain  his  country  in  the 
time  of  her  recent  struggles. 

He  was  a  valued  member  of  many  public  insti- 
tutions in  this  city.  Among  the  seventy  or  eighty 
letters  of  condolence  received  by  his  family,  are 
seven  from  public  associations  of  which  he  was 
an  efficient  officer.  The  press  and  the  pulpit  have 
commended  his  life.  As  chairman  of  the  Finan- 
cial Committee  of  the  National  Temperance  Society, 
he  devised  liberal  things,  and  gave  largely  for  the 
promotion  of  its  invaluable  work.  Besides  constant 
donations  to  this  Society,  he  gave  at  one  time 
^i,ooo,  and  at  another  $500.     Said  the  Hon.  William 


23 

E.  Dodge,  president  of  that  Society,  "We  can   put 
a  man  in  his  position,  but  we  cannot  fill  his  place." 

The  Allen  Street  church  is  not  located  among- 
the  wealthy  and  the  prosperous.  Yet  no  matter 
how  large  the  expenses  or  the  contributions,  with 
his  help  and  activity,  we  always  rejoiced  at  our 
annual  meeting,  over  a  surplus  in  the  treasury. 

The  Sabbath  school  that  he  superintended  was 
a  marvel  of  prosperity.  He  was  a  power  in  the 
work  of  leading  souls  to  Christ,  and  in  strength- 
ening  the   walls   of  our   beloved    Zion. 

And  so,  in  all  this  variety  of  projects  he  was  an 
efficient  helper.  Other  great  men  have  left  their 
impress  on  perishable  matter.  His  mark  is  upon 
hearts   and   souls,  that  never  die. 

His  death  was  a  triumph.  He  made  no  special 
preparation  for  it.  He  was  not  expecting  to  die. 
On  the  28th  of  July,  just  as  I  was  leaving  New  York 
for  my  summer  vacation,  I  went  up  to  New  Rochelle. 
He  asked  to  see  me  alone.  As  I  entered  the  room, 
he  said,  "  You  see  my  body  a  wreck,  but  my  mind 
is  awake.  I  have  often  felt  that  I  needed  some- 
thing more   in   my  religious   experience,  and   I   have 


24 

wondered  how  it  was  to  come.  Three  weeks  ago 
this  sickness  came.  I  feh  that  it  was  all  right.  My 
business  did  not  enter  my  mind.  I  understood  the 
whole  case,  and  I  was  entirely  ready  that  God 
should  do  his  will.  Since  last  Wednesday  I  was 
very  sick.  For  three  days  I  did  not  know  how  I 
could  get  through.  Saturday  morning  I  lay  here  in 
my  weakness,  like  an  infant,  I  felt  as  if  Jesus  took 
me  in  his  arms  and  carried  me.  Somehow,  he 
manifested  himself  to  me  in  a  most  wojidcrfitl  way. 
I  never  conceived  anything  like  it.  My  soul  was 
full.  It  was  almost  more  than  I  could  bear ;  and 
now,  for  three  days,  I  have  had  a  peace  and  bless- 
edness that  I  cannot  describe.  Oh  !  for  one  hour 
of  such  demonstration  of  His  love  as  this,  I  would 
willingly  endure  all  this  sickness.  I  could  not  get 
it  myself;   He  came  and  gave   it  to  me." 

He  repeated  these  and  other  like  words  with 
great  rapidity,  and  as  he  spoke,  the  tears  were 
rolling  down  his  face.  I  stood  at  his  side  spell- 
bound. It  was  a  new  phase  in  this  dear  man's 
character,  and  I  could  only  say,  "  Precious,  precious 
Saviour."      It  was    so    like    heaven.      I   knelt  at  his 


25 

bedside.  As  I  closed  a  brief  prayer,  he  said  aloud, 
"Amen!"  And  then  came  diat  holy  kiss;  dien  our 
pardng,  and  that  was  the  last. 

Among  many  other  sweet  things,  he  said  to  his 
companion,  "  God  came  right  to  me,  and  spoke  to 
me.  Oh !  I  am  so  happy.  I  thought  I  had  enjoyed 
reliofion  before,  but  it  was  a  cold  service.  How 
many  times  have  I  prayed,  especially  in  revival 
seasons,  that  the  Lord  would  melt  my  heart,  and 
now  he  has  burst  it.  Oh  !  wonderful,  wonderful 
love !  I  want  to  tell  everybody  what  gladness  and 
peace   I   am   enjoying." 

"  In  our  delightful  seasons  of  prayer,"  she  adds, 
"  he  would  say,  '  Read  me  a  psalm  of  praise  ; '  and 
as  I  read,  he  would  say,  'Oh!  what  a  loving  Father; 
how  precious  he  is  to  me  ; '  and  then  as  we  sang, 
'  I  love  to  tell  the  story,'  and  '  My  faith  looks  up  to 
Thee,'  and  '  How  sweet  the  name  of  Jesus  sounds,' 
the  tears  would  flow  down  his  cheeks,  while  he 
often  exclaimed,    'Oh!    how  sweet,   how  sweet!'" 

His  mother  had  been  dead  eight  years.  During 
these  manifestations,  though  never  delirious  or  even 
despondent,  he  said  to  me,  "  My  dear  mother  came 


26 

to  me,  and  she  looked  so  lovingly  into  my  face, 
and  I  looked  into  her  dear,  loving  eyes ;  and  Jesus 
also  came  and  stood  by  me."  I  said  to  him,  "  some 
would  think  this  a  delusion ;  they  would  call  you 
a  fanatic."  "  No,"  said  he,  "  there  is  no  delusion  in 
this,  it  is  too  real."  I  said  to  him,  "I  wish  I  could 
bear  a  part  of  your  suffering."  ''No,"  said  he,  "let 
no  one  bear  it  but  Jesus."  After  a  painful,  sleepless 
night,  he  said,  "  God  comes  to  me  so  lovingly  and 
says,  'be  patient,  be  patient' — I  am  willing  to  bear 
it  for  His  sake."  Through  all  this  he  expected  to 
recover.  He  had  such  wonderful  vitality.  He  said, 
"  I  am  not  anxious  to  die  ;  I  love  my  family  so  dearly, 
and  I  have  so  much  to  live  for.  I  feel  that  my 
work  is  not  done  ;  and  if  I  get  well,  I  shall  do 
so  niiLch  more  for  Christ."  "How  more?"  I  said. 
"  Oh !    I  shall  do  it  with  such  a  different  spirit." 

On  the  8th,  he  was  visited  by  his  New  York 
physician.  He  insisted  on  knowing  Dr.  Clark's 
opinion  of  the  case.  But  he  gave  him  little  en- 
couragement. Mr.  Lester  immediately  dismissed 
the  idea  of  recovery.  He  had  a  conversation  with 
his   companion,  and   soon   after  said  to   her  mother, 


27 

"  I  have  felt  that  the  Lord  had  more  for  me  to  do, 
but  the  doctor  seems  discouraged ;  and  now  I  would 
not  turn  my  hand  over  to  decide  the  matter.  I 
have  such  a  precious  Saviour.  If  He  wants  me, 
let  Him  take  me.  I  have  talked  with  my  dear  wife, 
and  she  bears  it  like  an  ano-el." 

The  usual  time  for  retiring  to  rest  soon  arrived. 
With  a  loving  kiss  and  a  beaming  smile,  he  said, 
"  Good  night,  dear  wife  ;"  and  as  she  left  the  'room, 
he  said,  "  Now,  mother,  I  am  going  to  sleep." 
These  were  his  last  words,  and  this  was  his  last 
sleep.  He  soon  awoke  in  heaven.  What  a  sweet 
and  precious  ending. 

In  a  few  moments  his  breathing  changed.  The 
family  were  recalled,  and  there  they  stood  around 
his  bed.  But  so  august  was  the  presence  of  God 
in  that  chamber  of  death,  that  not  a  tear  was  shed  ; 
the  tears  were  to  come.  As  the  breath  soon 
left  the  body,  they  involuntarily  sang,  "There  are 
angels  hovering  round;"  and  even  that  wife,  after 
such  union  of  hearts  and  brightness  of  life,  was 
enabled  to  exclaim,  "  Oh !  my  dear  husband,  I  would 
not  call    you    back."     The    aged    father   walked    the 


28 


room,  wringing  his  hands  and  sighing  as  he  went, 
"Why  can't  I  go,  why  can't  I  go,  in  his  place?" 
But  he  soon  dropped  upon  his  knees  before  God, 
and  led  them  in  humble,  submissive  prayer. 

And  so,  our  brother  has  gone  !  Gone  with 
Fanning,  Betts,  Frazer  and  Farrel,  of  the  old  ses- 
sion. Gone  in  the  prime  of  his  strength,  in  the 
fullness  of  his  zeal,  in  the  vastness  of  his  work. 

"  He  has  laid  him  down  at  noon,   to  rest  upon  his  sheaves." 

No  cloud  came  over  him.  The  anp-els  bore  him 
upward,  in  a  blaze  of  light ;  the  "  emerald  gates " 
were  opened  and,  amid  seraph  strains,  Jesus  and 
the  loved  ones  gave  him  welcorne.  And  now  he  is 
at  home,  amid  the  rhapsodies  of  heaven.  His  great 
soul  is  full  at  last. 

But  thousands  have  said,  "Why  did  he  die?" 
Die!  "Whosoever  believeth  in  me  shall  never  die." 
He  is  not  dead.  Can  he  be  dead  who  lives  in 
glory?  Can  he  be  dead  whose  name  is  graven  on 
living  hearts  ?  Can  he  be  dead  whose  life-power 
is  tramping  on  in  the  deeds  of  living  men  ?  The 
power  of  that  life  will  widen  and  extend.  But  why 
is   he   gone  ?     This    is   a  hard    question    to    answer. 


29 

"  Jesus  said,  what  I  do  diou  knowest  not  now." 
Look  at  it  as  we  may,  it  is  a  terrible  shock.  It  is 
an  irreparable  loss.  And  yet,  we  see  but  in  part. 
"  Some  things  here  are  veiled :  there  are  many 
worlds,  and  much  to  do."  He  may  be  missioned  to 
give  us  a  cheering  word  or  a  helping  hand.  We 
know  that  Jesus  wanted  him.  That  his  death  was 
precious  in  His  sight.  That  his  "  pierced  hand " 
has  led  him,  and  led  him  well. 

He  has  achieved  wonders.  He  has  done  the 
work  of  a  long  life. 

"We  live  in  deeds,   not  years." 

He  was  a  hard  toiler.  He  needed  rest,  and 
could  not  get  it  here.  His  heart  was  ever  in  his 
work,  and  so  he  has  gone  up  higher.  May  God 
raise  up  others  to  fill  his  place. 

This  parting  is  sad  for  the  wife  and  the  children, 
the  father  and  the  brother,  and  for  all  his  dear 
relatives — 

"All  tilings  round  you  breathe   of  him." 

You  may  weep ;  you  may  grieve.  We  will  grieve 
with  you.  But  you  must  not  "  lift  up  for  him  the 
voice   of  wailing."     You    must    not  wish    him    back. 


Look  forward.  "This  mortal  must  put  on  Immor- 
tality." The  earth  shall  heave ;  you  shall  burst  the 
bars  of  death.  With  your  spiritual  bodies  you  shall 
go  throng-ing-  up  together,  with  such  shouts  of  wel- 
come as  are  given  to  victors,  coming  home.  You 
must  come  out  from  the  dark  cloud,  and  bask  in 
the  sunlight.  The  noble  past  is  history.  It  is  all 
done.  The  golden  future  is  also  secure.  Thank 
God  for  what  he  has  been  to  you  as  a  husband,  a 
father,  a  son,  a  brother.  Remember  his  great  de- 
light when  his  son  became  a  christian,  and  when 
his  last  dear  child  confessed  her  Saviour.  Remem- 
ber his  beaming  smile,  his  cheerful,  loving  ways. 
Then  the  sweet  aroma  of  his  name,  and  the  vital 
force  of  his  deeds  shall  never  be  lost ;  the  ecstasy 
of  his  joy  shall  never  cease.  How  sweet  to  toil, 
how  sweet  to  die,  while  you  remember  his  living 
and  his  dying.  He  longs  for  your  coming.  He 
may  be  your  guardian  angel.  "  He  may  be  near 
you  when  the  light  is  low  and  the  heart  is  sick." 
And  when  you  cross  the  river,  he  may  stand  upon 
the  other  side  to  cheer  you  on.  With  open  arms 
he   will  give  you  welcome ;    once  more  and  forever 


31 

you  will  be  together.     Till  then,  be  patient,  be  sub- 
missive.    Till  then  — 

"  One  other  comfort,   one 
Is  yours,  to  breathe  while  you  adore  ; 
Thy  will  be  done." 

Thus   shall   your   lonely   hours    be   gladdened ;    thus 
shall  you   "be   crowned  and  sainted." 

And  now,  is  there  a  soul  in  this  house  without 
God,  and  with  no  hope  ?  How  firmly  he  chose  the 
service  of  God.  He  did  not  defer  it.  Days  and 
weeks  are  rushing  on.  He  did  not  live  in  depres- 
sion and  "die  in  a  panic."  He  gloried  in  religion; 
it  was  a  blessing  to  him.  Would  it  not  be  a 
blessing  to  you  ?  Won't  you  trust  and  serve  his 
Saviour  ? 

And,  dearly  beloved  children,  is  your  noble  su- 
perintendent gone  ?  Gone  to  heaven  ?  Do  you 
remember  the  last  time  we  saw  him  together,  when 
we  went  down  from  the  May  anniversary  to  our 
refreshment  room  ?  What  a  crowd,  and  how  happy 
we  were  ;  and  what  a  glad,  loving  speech  he  made 
when  he  was  surprised  by  that  present.  Oh !  how 
he  studied  and  toiled    and  prayed  for   you.     Listen 


32 

now;  can't  you  hear  him  saying,  "Children!  won't 
you  love  my  Jesus  ?  Won't  you  remember  what 
I  told  you  ;  and  when  you  are  tempted  to  wrong, 
won't  you,  with  God's  help,  resist  the  devil  ?" 

Young  men  and  young  women !  how  he  loved 
you.  He  had  a  heart  as  young  as  yours.  How 
he  loved  to  do  you  good ;  and  how  you  loved  him. 
How  you  loved  to  please  him,  and  how  you  mourned 
him.  You  never  will  have  a  friend  like  him.  Don't 
forget  him.  Let  his  presence  go  with  you.  Let 
the  power  of  his  life  guide  you. 

Young  man,  as  you  sit  here  to-day,  say  this  in 
your  heart,  "As  the  Lord  helpeth  me,  I  will  be 
what  he  was  in  the  world,  in  the  Sabbath  school, 
and  in  the  labor  for  souls." 

And  now,  to  the  officers  and  members  of  this 
church  and  congregation,  and  to  this  crowd  of  his 
old  friends,  rich  and  poor,  let  me  say,  in  closing  : 
There  has  been  in  our  midst  a  royal  life,  and  a 
triumphant  death ;  and  we  would  emulate  his  exam- 
ple. Do  you  say  he  was  beyond  our  reach?  By  no 
means.  His  life  was  not  the  result  of  extraordi- 
nary power  or  surprising  knowledge  or  stupendous 


33 

exploits.  Being  blest  with  great  vitality,  a  vigorous 
mind,  a  good  education  and  a  faithful  training,  he 
pressed  right  on.  Nothing  deterred  him  from  duty, 
and  he  succeeded  because  he  was  eag-er  to  do  the 
most  disagreeable  thing's  first.  And  here  was  one 
secret  of  his  wonderfully  happy  life.  He  seemed 
to  be  always  planning,  toiling,  succeeding,  and  he 
was  doing  it  for  God.  There  is  no  pleasure  like 
constant  activity  for  the  honor  of  Christ  and  the 
good  of  men.  There  is  joy  and  heroism  in  for- 
getting one's  self.  Now,  what  shall  our  life  be  ? 
It  is  too  brief  and  precious  to  lose.  "  It  will  soon 
be  dark."     The  account  will  end.     Then  let  us — 

"  Work  away  ! 
For  the  Father's  eye  is  on  us, 
Never  oft'  us,  still  upon  us, 

Night  and  day  ! 

Work  and  pray  !  " 

Why  not  toil  as  well  as  he  ? 

He  was  not  born  a  saint.  Though  a  frank  and 
reliable  boy,  he  was  yet  a  sinner.  He  always  had 
an  impulsive  nature.  It  was  hard  to  restrain  his 
exuberance  of  spirits.  It  was  hard  for  him  to  bear 
with    the    indolent,   the    tardy,   the    unprincipled,   the 


34 

deceitful.  But  grace,  grace  has  been  working,  es- 
pecially in  our  revivals  of  religion. 

It  was  his  constant  habit  to  rise  early  in  the 
morning,  and  go  at  once  to  his  little  "  oratory," 
where  he  always  prayed,  audibly,  to  God.  There 
he  has  been  heard  confessing  and  renouncing  his 
sins  in  the  deepest  abasement,  and  pleading  for 
others,  by  name.  But  he  found  the  blessing;  for 
he  often  came  forth  with  a  radiant  countenance  and 
a  song  of  praise ;  and  so,  thanks  be  unto  God,  he 
gained  the  victory.  He  became  gentle  and  patient 
and  lovely. 

Now,  if  you  would  live  his  life,  you  must  have 
his  purpose  and  prayer,  his  industry  and  benevo- 
lence, his  godliness  and  love  of  souls. 

If  you  would  have  his  ecstasies,  you  must  be 
inspired  by  his  views.  In  beholding  Jesus,  you 
must  not  only  see  the  scepter  in  His  hand  and 
the  crown  on  His  head,  but  the  pity  in  His  heart 
and  the  tear  in  His  eye.  And  if  you  would  die  as 
our  brother  died,  you  must  climb  up  to  those  bril- 
liant heights  of  heavenly  vision  where  he  stood. 
There    your    toils    and     treasures,    your    gifts    and 


35 

graces,  must  all  be  paled  in  the  full-orbed  glory 
of  the  Cross.  There  your  love  of  life  itself  must 
be  absorbed  in  a  supreme  attachment  to  the  in- 
finitely blessed  God.  All  this  God  will  give  you. 
Seek  it  of  Him.  Then  will  you  honor  Jesus  and 
bless   your  race. 

Then  will  you  hail  our  brother  gone,  and  shine 
with  him,  as  the  stars,  forever.  And  oh  !  how 
near  that  meeting  seems.  Nothing  but  the  mystic 
river  divides  us.  We  can  almost  see  "  the  gleam 
of  his  snowy  robes"  and  the  radiance  of  his  "angel 
brow."     Even  now  he  waits  to  ofive  us  welcome. 


[  Contributed  by  Rev.   Edward  R.  Burkhalter,   pastor  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  New  Rochelle]. 


When  those,  who  in  their  hves  have  been 
marked  by  rare  christian  character,  pass  away 
from  earth,  it  is  most  natural  and  right  that  some 
memorial  of  their  name  and  history  should  be 
preserved,  as  a  sweet  comfort  to  their  loved  ones 
who  survive,  and  as  a  guide  and  stimulus  to  all 
whom  this  memorial  shall  reach.  Mr.  Joseph  W. 
Lester  was  so  pre-eminently  one  of  this  class — he 
was  so  great  in  goodness — that  it  is  at  the  same 
time  a  sacred  duty  and  a  rare  privilege  to  perpetu- 
ate his  memory.  It  is  true  that  he  was  best  known, 
and  his  influence  most  deeply  felt,  in  the  city,  and 
especially  in  connection  with  the  Allen  Street  church; 
but  for  the  last  few  years  it  has  been  his  habit  to 
spend  six  months  of  each  year  in  his  country  home, 
and  here  in  New  Rochelle  have  we  all  learned  to 
honor  and  love  him.  We  have,  therefore,  our  tes- 
timony to  render  and  our  tribute  to  bring. 


3^ 

Mr.  LESTE[-i  said  to  me  in  the  beginning  of  my 
ministry,  and  often  repeated  the  remark  in  his  own 
so  inimitable  manner,  "  You  know  that  I  am  better 
off  than  most  persons,  for  I  have  two  pastors  instead 
of  one."  He  said  it  with  so  much  heartiness,  and 
so  much  depth  and  sincerity  of  meaning,  that  it 
always  gave  me  a  whole  world  of  impulse  and 
encouragement.  It  was  a  great  and  most  happy 
incentive  to  duty  to  be  called  pastor  by  such  a 
man.  Indeed,  it  could  be  said  of  him,  that  he  was 
a  perpetual  stimulus  to  his  pastor.  He  was  the 
most  active  and  useful  and  zealous  layman  that  I 
ever  knew  or  ever  heard  of.  Instead  of  needing, 
as  so  many  do,  the  perpetual  impulse  of  the  pulpit 
to  keep  him  in  the  spirit  of  christian  zeal  and  dili- 
gence, his  own  constant,  warm  and  active  piety 
reacted  on  the  pulpit,  and  greatly  contributed  to 
keep  the  preacher  in  a  frame  of  ardent  desire  for 
the  welfare  of  souls.  That  minister  of  the  Gospel 
would  be  a  strangely  unimpressible  man,  who  could 
see  before  him  every  Sabbath  during  half  the  year 
that  face,  which  was  so  suggestive  of  christian  labor, 
and    not    feel    stimulated    to    preach    and    pray    and 


39 

strive,  with  similar  ardor,  to  save  souls.  But  per- 
sonal contact  with  Mr.  Lester  was  most  inspiring. 
There  was  something  quite  indescribable  about  him, 
which  was  absolutely  contagious.  One  caught  his 
spirit  irresistibly.  An  interview  with  him  started 
new  thoughts,  desires  and  aspirations  in  the  direc- 
tion of  christian  usefulness.  Without  being  at  all 
conscious  of  it,  Mr.  Lester  left  the  impression  upon 
every  one's  mind  that  religion  was  with  him  the 
chief  concern,  the  ruling  principle ;  and  what  was 
so  especially  dehghtful  about  him,  his  religion  was 
pre-eminently  cheerful,  and  buoyant,  and  healthy. 
This  was  the  case,  because  religion  was  with  him 
so  eminently  practical,  and  so  fruitful  of  good  works. 
Christianity  was  not  to  his  mind  a  treasure  to  be 
jealously  guarded  in  one's  own  soul,  as  the  source 
of  enjoyment  in  one's  secret  reflections  and  medita- 
tions :  as  he  understood  it,  the  christian  religion 
is  an  active  and  aggressive  power — the  impulse  to 
do  good  to  one's  fellow-men.  Religion  sent  him 
constantly  abroad.  He  did  not  tarry  long  in  his 
own  heart,  to  ponder  over  its  mysteries  and  per- 
plexities ;    he    went   about   in    every   direction    doing 


40 

good.  He  believed  in  doing  good  of  every  kind. 
He  was  ready  to  bring  help  of  every  sort,  accord- 
ing to  the  needs  which  he  witnessed.  He  was  a 
most  sensible  and  discreet  man,  and  knew  well  how 
to  discriminate.  He  was  a  good  counselor  and 
friend  in  both  spiritual  and  temporal  matters,  and 
he  always  knew  in  what  form  to  administer  his 
counsel  and  his  aid. 

It  was  perfectly  amazing  to  learn,  (as  I  have 
learned  incidentally,  from  time  to  time,  and  I  know 
that  the  half  has  not  been  told  me),  how  many 
persons  were  reached  by  his  friendly  hand,  and  in 
how  many  directions  his  sympathies,  his  interests, 
and  his  active  energies,  were  put  forth.  I  could 
scarcely  understand  how  it  was  possible  for  him  to 
keep  so  many  separate  interests  in  his  mind,  and 
to  care  for  them  all  at  the  same  time.  But,  amid 
them  all,  no  one  and  nothing  were  forgotten  or 
neglected.  Although  he  was  so  full  of  thoughts 
and  cares,  because  of  his  interests  in  the  city,  there 
was  a  place  found  in  his  heart  and  in  his  time  for 
his  friends  in  New  Rochelle.  I  never  before  under- 
stood the  capacities  of  time.      I  never  before  knew 


41 

that  one  human  hfe  could  undertake  and  accomplish 
so  much.  The  secret  of  it  is,  he  was  a  man  of 
unbounded  native  energy,  and  there  was  added  to 
this  a  most  unusual  measure  of  that  mighty  princi- 
ple— love  for  Christ.  These  two  elements  together 
made  him  to  be  never  weary  in  well-doing. 

I  cannot  forbear  adding,  that  he  was  also  a  most 
unusual  illustration  of  the  application  of  christian 
principle  to  all  the  details  of  life.  How  he  carried 
this  out  in  his  business  I  have  had  no  means  of 
observing,  but  I  have  the  same  assurance  as  I 
should  have  had  I  seen  it  all,  that  he  was  a  rare 
example  of  business  integrity,  who  in  all  business 
relations  never  departed  from  a  high  christian 
standard.  But,  so  far  as  his  life  has  been  led  be- 
fore my  eyes,  I  have  observed  in  it  an  unbroken 
record  of  the  exercise  of  christian  character.  His 
was  a  life  that  manifested  the  very  fewest  changes. 
As  you  saw  him  once,  you  saw  him  always.  His 
sentiments,  his  convictions,  and  his  principles,  were 
all  established  and  thoroughly  understood,  so  that 
you  always  knew  where  you  should  find  him.  His 
life  was  disturbed  by  no  fluctuations  of  feeling,  but 


42 

when  he  once  assumed  a  position,  he  always  main- 
tained it.  This  added  great  additional  value  to  his 
character  and  his  influence.  You  felt  that  you  could 
always  depend  upon  him.  He  was  sure  to  be  always 
in  his  place.  We  looked  for  him  statedly  at  our 
weekly  meetings  for  conference  and  prayer,  although 
his  attendance  must  have  been  at  the  cost  of  per- 
sonal inconvenience,  on  account  of  his  great  distance 
from  the  church.  He  was  sure  to  be  there,  if  it  was 
at  all  possible,  and  we  enjoyed  not  his  presence 
only,  but  his   cheering  and  stimulating  words. 

It  can  not  be  my  object  at  this  time  to  give  an 
analysis  of  Mr.  Lester's  character,  much  less  to 
present  any  comprehensive  view  of  his  worth.  That 
were  altogether  impossible.  In  what  I  have  thus 
written,  I  have  attempted  to  answer  the  question, 
what  he  has  been  to  me.  And  let  me  comprehend 
it  all  in  closing.  He  has  been  to  me  one  of  the 
best  and  dearest  of  friends ;  one  of  the  brightest 
and  most  instructive  of  examples.  His  memory  can 
never  die.  His  picture,  so  accurate  and  so  speak- 
ing, I  keep  ever  before  me,  in  my  study,  and  I  delight 
to  look  at  it,  for  it  is  a  perpetual  inspiration  to  me. 


43 

It  stimulates  me  to  renewed  zeal,  and  constant  dili- 
gence. It  is  a  perpetual  monitor  to  me,  as  though 
his  voice  spoke  to  me  from  out  the  better  world.  I 
believe  I  can  truly  say,  I  am  a  better  and  more 
zealous  man  for  having  known  and  loved  Mr.  Joseph 
W.  Lester. 


APPENDIX 


"  The  sun  hath  set, — 
Vet  o'er  the  land  still  blooms  that  woiiditjus  glow, 
Still  shine  the  topmost  peaks,  and  down  below 
The  vale  is  full  of  light, 
And  gloomy  night 

Cometh  not  yet. 


Kindling  my  inmost  soul,   still  shines  Love's  day  : 
Stronger  than  Death  is  Love, — 
From  Heaven  above 

Heart  answers  heart." 


SELECTIONS    EROM    LETTERS  AND   OBnUARY 
NOTICES. 


Cousin  Joseph  was  very  dear  to  us  all  ;  he  needs  no 
eulogizing.  Perhaps  I  loved  him  better  because  in  our 
younger  days  he  was  so  frank,  always  reproving  me  if  he 
saw  me  in  error. 

J.   F. 

L.\UREL  Hill. 


I  do  not  think  I  shall  realize  that  my  dear  Cousin  Joseph 
has  passed  away  from  our  earthly  sight,  until  I  am  in  the 
home  that  was  always  so  brightened  by  his  presence.  How 
we  all  felt  the  influence  of  his  bright,  cheering  fiice,  as  he 
came  into  the  room.  I  can  only  bring  him  before  me  in  that 
way  now.  When  I  think  of  him,  those  lines  of  Longfellow's 
often  come  to  me, — 

"  O,   though  of'l  depressed  and   lonely, 
All  my  fears  are  laid  aside, 
If  I  but  remember  only 

Such  as  these  have  lived  and   died  !  " 

L.  F.  B. 

(  LUTON,    N.  Y. 


48 

For  the  last  month  we  have  had  Joseph  continually  in 
our  thoughts.  Such  a  stroke  cannot  but  affect  us  both,  as 
for  a  long  time  our  joys  and  our  sorrows  have  been  so  ten- 
derly connected.  Mere  sympathy  will  help  nothing ;  but  if 
we  speak  and  think  of  him  as  he  lived,  if  we  live  over  the  old 
days  again,  holding  each  tender  thought  and  act  close  to  our 
hearts,  we  can  then  indeed  feel  that  he  still  lives.  Thank 
God  we  can  do  this.     His  look  will  never  die  to  me. 

D.  D.  E. 


When  I  was  at  your  house  last  winter,  Joseph  seemed 
changed ;  he  appeared  more  gentle,  happier,  if  possible,  and 
altogether  so  lovely  in   his  character,  that  when   I   returned 

home  I  spoke  to  C of  the  change,  telling  her  that  it  made 

me  feel  that  he  was  living  beyond  and  above  us  more  and 
more.  That  month  was  a  precious  one  to  me,  for  I  remember 
his  peculiarly  happy  ways,  his  greater  love  for  religious  work, 
his  happiness  (almost  boyish)  in  the  love  and  attention  of  the 
young  men  of  Allen  street.  Especially  do  I  remember  that 
Sunday  afternoon,  when  so  many  of  the  young  men  ( I  think 
there  were  fifteen)  called  for  him,  in  order  that  they  might 
have  the  pleasure  of  walking  with  him  to  Dr.  Thompson's 
Bible  class,  up  town.  When  Joseph  came  into  the  room  and 
saw  the  large  number  who  had  called  for  him,  and  had  come 
by  twos  and  threes  of  their  own  free  will,  and  not  by  appoint- 
ment, then  his  face  was  delightful  to  look  upon — he  was  so 
pleased  and  surprised  at  seeing  them,  and  their  evident  love 
for  him  seemed  to  touch  him.  I  can  hear  now  his  happy, 
cheery   voice,  thanking  them   for  calling  for  him ;    then  his 


49 

joyous  way  of  stepping  forward  and  saying,  "  Come,  boys,  we 
don't  want  to  be  late" — speaking  to  them  not  as  though  he 
were  a  dignified  leader,  but  just  one  of  thon  in  feeling  and 
sentiment.  Do  you  remember  how  we  followed  them  out 
just  to  see  that  dear  brother  surrounded  by  his  boys  ?  I 
think  tears  came  to  the  eyes  of  us  both  as  we  spoke  of 
Joseph's  delight  in  those  dear  young  men,  his  anxiety  for 
their  welfare  and  well  doing.  As  he  stepped  off  with  his 
light,  elastic  step,  I  thought  who  among  them  all  had  a  finer 
physique,  a  younger  heart,  a  more  enthusiastic  or  fresher 
view  of  life ! 

There  is  one  thing  I  aways  remember  so  well,  though  I 
don't  know  as  I  have  ever  spoken  to  you  of  it,  that  is,  Joseph's 
faithfulness  in  secret  prayer.  I  have  heard  him  in  an  adjoin- 
ing room,  in  the  early  morning,  in  audible,  earnest  prayer  for 
himself  and  others.  I  thought  them  the  best  prayers  he 
made.  He  would  speak  to  God  of  his  great  anxiety  for  his 
friends,  always  mentioning  individual  cases,  and  pleading  so 
earnestly  for  them.  Those  who  were  out  of  Christ  he  would 
especially  plead  and  pray  for ;  and  he  prayed  as  though  he 
had  such  trust  and  reliance  in  God,  that  he  would  hear  and 
answer  his  prayers  aright.  He  never  neglected  his  private 
devotions,  and  in  leaving  would  often  sing  a  line  or  two  of 
some  hymn,  such  as  — 

"Come,   thou  fount  of  every  blessing!" 
It  is  a  sad  pleasure  to  recall  his  dear  sayings,  and  to  me  his 
playful,  mischievous  ways,  are  a  delight  to  remember.     He 
was  so  alive,  so  bright,  so  active  —  how  am  we  realize  that  he 

is  gone  forever. 

^  S.  A.  D. 


50    . 

No  one  could  see  Joseph  Lester,  much  more  knoxv  his 
worth,  without  a  good  and  sort  of  sacred  influence  pervading 
their  whole  being.  My  own  respect  and  love  for  him  were 
more  than  ordinary.  I  always  looked  up  to  him  as  an  un- 
common christian,  always  ready  to  depart  when  the  Lord 
called  him.     He  was  my  oracle  in  everything  that  was  good 

and  lovely. 

R.  B.  C. 

Hartford,  Conn. 


Your  husband  was  doubly  dear  to  me  —  dear  that  he  was 
blood  kin  of  one  who  is  so  precious  to  me  in  memories  of  her 
life,  dear  because  he  was  so  much  like  Him  who  is  the  chiefest 
among  ten  thousand.     Yes,  Cousin  Joseph  bore  the  image  of 

his  Master.     Ever  since  our  delightful  little  visit  at  N , 

in  the  summer  of  1858,  I've  never  ceased  to  love  him.  I 
distinctly  remember  a  little  talk  he  gave  us  in  the  church  one 
evening.  Some  one  quoted  the  familiar  passage,  "  Let  me  die 
the  death  of  the  righteous,  and  let  my  last  end  be  like 
his ! "  when  he  seized  it  for  his  text,  and  spoke  so  pleasantly 
and  profitably  that  a  lasting  impression  was  made  upon 
my  mind,  and  he  seemed  to  give  us  the  secret  of  his  godly 
life. 

E.  T.  F. 
New  Haven,  Conn. 


51 

How  many  mourn  with  you  to-day!  The  church,  the 
Sabbath  school,  the  prayer  meeting,  society — all  feel  the  loss. 
There  are  few  indeed  who  would  be  missed  more.  How 
precious  is  the  memory  he  leaves  !  May  the  mantle  of  the 
father  rest  upon  that  dear  son.  Looking  at  things  from  our 
own  stand-point  of  view,  we  are  ready  to  say,  this  good  man 
cannot  be  spared  ;  the  church  needs  him,  the  world  needs 
him,  society  needs  him,  his  family  needs  him ;  we  cannot  have 
him  go  yet.  Rut  God  says  to  us  all,  "  Heaven  needs  him  ;" 
"shall  I  not  do  what  I  will  with  my  own?"  Heaven  has 
become  already  brighter  for  a  radiant  presence  newly  entered 
there.     He  has  entered  into  rest,  and  there  is  "  rest  for  yoii!' 

Rev.  a.  R.  \V. 

MoNTrLAIR,    N.    f. 


We  all  loved  and  honored  him.     Although  not  privileged 

to  meet  him  often,  we  frequently  heard  his  name  mentioned, 

always   in  connection  with   some  good  work,  and  we  know 

that    if  it    were    not    that    "death    loves    a    shining    mark," 

he  would  have  been  spared  to  love  and  bless  you  with  his 

presence.     And  now  you  and  your  dear  children  are  heirs  of 

the   gospel   of  his   precious   life,  a   legacy   which   any   might 

covet. 

M.  C.  H. 


52 

Very  few,  my  dear  friend,  have  enjoyed  the  enviable  lot 
which  has  been  yours  for  a  quarter  of  a  century.  It  is  the 
happy  lot  of  but  few  women  to  have  sucJi  a  companion  —  so 
pure  and  good  a  man,  so  noble  a  christian  character.  Truly 
the  mantle  of  his  sainted  uncle  fell  upon  him.  They  were 
lovely  in  their  lives,  blessed  in  their  deaths,  and  their  works 
do  and  will  follow  them. 

O  !  how  many,  many  besides  myself  have  occasion  to-day 
to  go  back  and  recall  the  generous  acts  of  christian  kindness 
received  at  his  hands.  How  many  poor  will  weep  in  secret 
places,  how  many  young  persons  whom  he  has  led  to  Jesus, 
how  many  warm  christian  hearts  whom  he  has  comforted  and 
encouraged. 

How    many  christian    ministers,   who    have    enjoyed    the 

privilege  of  his  friendship,   can   say,  as   my  heart   has   been 

continually  saying,  "  Very  pleasant,  my  brother,   hast  thou 

been  unto  me." 

Rev.  V.  LeR.  L. 

New  York  Mills,  N.  Y. 


I  have  lost  my  truest  friend,  the  man  to  whom  I  owe  more 
as  a  minister,  and  Port  Huron  church  owes  more  as  a  band  of 
Christ's  followers,  than  to  any  other  person. 

His  energy,  his  industry,  his  economy,  his  beneficence,  his 
charity  —  all  told  in  the  formation  of  my  ministerial  character. 
His  consecration  to  Christ  was  the  clearest  instance  I  had 
ever  met,  and  I  have  never  met  another  like  it  since. 


53 

And  now,  not  boastiny;ly,  the  church  at  Port  Huron  has 
the  name  of  being  the  most  wide-awake,  and  in  truly  christian 
giving,  the  most  Hberal  Congregational  church  in  the  State  of 
Michigan.  So  he  lives  in  me,  in  my  church,  and  in  the 
churches  of  the  State.  Oh,  how  a  man  sows  himself  into  the 
soil  of  centuries  when  he  works  for  Jesus.  Oh,  that  I  may 
feel,  as  I  think  of  going,  that  I  have  done  as  much  as  I  think 
he  has  done.  But  the  very  best  of  his  friendship  I  consider 
to  have  been,  that  stern  sense  of  demanding  of  me  what  was 
right,  and  reproving  what  was  wrong,  even  though  it  were 
but  omission.  That  evening  when  first  he  came  to  see  me 
at  Union  Theological  Seminary  !  Oh,  it  shaped  my  whole 
ministerial  life  as  an  active  and  patient  one,  and  made  me  love 
the  work  of  saving  souls  as  nothing  else  has.  He  is  my  god- 
father indeed. 

Rev.  J.  S.  H. 

Port  Huron,  Mich. 


There  was  no  friend,  not  one,  that  I  loved  more  than 
Joseph  Lester,  and  I  felt  honored  by  his  friendship.  As  a 
christian  brother,  I  loved  him — so  true,  so  humble,  yet  so 
firm  and  resolute.  "I  have  kept  the  faith"  may  well  be 
written  of  him.  We  lose  his  cheering  words  and  his  devoted 
life,  his  prayers  and  his  generous  sympathy,  and  the  love  of 
his  big,  warm  heart ;  but  Hem'oi  gains  it  all,  and  it  will  be 
happier  there  (if  such  a  thing  were  possible)  with  him  among 
them.     "His  works  do  follow  him;"    yes,  they    have   gone 


54 

before  him,  and  will  be  his  diadem  forever.  It  almost  seems 
to  me  I  can  hear,  among  the  voices  that  have  greeted  him, 
one  that  is  saying,  "  Well  done  !" 

This  is  not  all.     The  memory  of  Joseph  Lester  is  precious, 
and  it  will  live  when  hundreds  are  forgotten. 

J.   P.   P. 


To  know  your  husband  was  to  love  him.  I  always  loved 
to  meet  him"  and  have  a  friendly  talk.  I  don't  know  of  any 
one,  not  even  a  brother,  who  had  my  confidence  more  than 
your  husband.  He  was  always  cheerful  and  pleasant,  never 
complaining  or  desponding,  but  looking  always  on  the  bright 

side  and  feeling  hopeful. 

O.  B.  J. 

Lake  George,  N.  Y. 


I  had  known  and  loved  him  many  years,  when  we  were 
brought  more  closely  together  by  meeting  every  month  in 
the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  National  Temperance  Society. 
He,  like  myself,  was  scarcely  absent  from  those  meetings, 
and  we  were  always  of  one  mind,  in  everything  that  con- 
cerned a  cause  he  had  so  much  at  heart.  We  will  greatly 
miss  him  and  his  wise  counsels  in  that  Board.  There  was 
no  other  member  in  whose  sound  judgment  I  had  such 
implicit  confidence.  I  scarcely  see  how  we  are  to  get  on 
without  him. 


55 

His  plain,  unassuminy;  ways,  liis  unselfishness,  his  thought- 
fulness  for  others,  his  willingness  to  work  and  readiness  to 
contribute — all  endeared  him  to  us  more  than  I  can  express. 

F.  C. 


He   was   my   friend — I   esteemed  him    highly  :    not  alone 

because  he  was  my  friend  in  all  times  of  business  cares,  but 

because  he  was  a  self-made  man,  upright  and  honorable  in  all 

his  dealings,  and  with  a  heart  which  was  always  ready  to 

sympathize  with  others  in  need. 

W.  S. 

Charleston,  S.  C. 


Truly  he  was  a  most  extraordinary  man  —  most  unusually 
christian,  most  singularly  wise  and  good,  strong,  loving  and 
tender.  He  was  universally  esteemed,  respected  and  beloved. 
You  would  be  comforted,  indeed,  did  you  know  what  an 
impression  he  has  left  upon  the  hearts  of  all  of  us  at  New 
Rochelle. 

I  feel  the  most  perfect  assurance  that  the  impression  he 

has  left  upon  my  heart  will  never  be  lost,  and  I  would  count 

it  one  of  my  greatest  blessings  if  it  could  be  kept  as  vivid  as 

it  is  now.      I  pray  that  it  may  be. 

Rev.  E.  R.  B. 

Manchksikk,  Vt. 


56 

It  seems  but  yesterday  that  I  met  him,  and  had  the 
usual  cordial  grasp  of  the  hand  and  the  kindly  word  and 
smile.  We  were  nearly  of  an  age,  and  have  taken  "  sweet 
counsel  together "  for  many  years.  If  to  live  so  as  to  be 
missed  be  an  object  for  the  christian,  surely  he  early  attained 
it.  How  he  will  be  missed  in  the  circle  of  his  business 
friends,  in  the  Church  of  Christ,  and  in  the  sacred  circle  of 
his  own  family.     He  leaves  few  equals  behind  him. 

W.  C. 


In  all  these  years  since  I  first  met  your  husband,  I  have 
not  met  the  man  whom  I  more  honored  and  loved,  as  a  sym- 
pathizing, consistent  christian  man.     Oh,  how  blessed  to  have 

so  lived  and  died. 

Rev.  J.  H.  T. 

Lake  Forest,  III. 


1  never  before  felt  more  seriously  the  loss  of  a  friend  than 
in  the  departure  of  almost  my  dearest  friend,  Mr.  Joseph  W. 
Lester.  He  has  been  as  a  ministering  angel  to  me,  ever 
since  the  first  Sabbath  morning  that  I  went  into  your  Sun- 
day school,  in  Allen  street.  He  met  me  so  cordially  and 
made  me  feel  so  much  at  home,  took  such  pains  to  introduce 
me  to  the  teachers  and  superintendent,  and  afterwards  invited 
me  to  sit  with  him  in  your  pew ;  and,  if  I  remember  aright. 


57 

took  me  home  to  dinner,  then  to  Sunday  school  again,  to 
Young  Peoples'  prayer  meeting,  and  to  evening  church. 
His  kindness  and  largeness  of  heart  have  been  manifested 
in  so  many  ways,  and  so  frequently,  that  no  language  that 
I  can  command  will  convey  any  proper  conception  of  my 
esteem  and  admiration  for  him  as  a  christian  Jiian,  in  the 
true  sense  of  the  term. 

Mr.  Lester  has  been  a  great  blessing  in  the  church, 
Sunday  school,  prayer  meetings,  benevolent  associations, 
Bible  and  tract  societies,  American  S.  S.  Union,  and,  not 
least  by  any  means,  as  a  christian  merchant,  who  was  not 
ashamed  to  show  his  true  colors  in  his  counting-room.  His 
associations  in  these  different  relationships  have  brought 
him  in  contact  with  a  host  of  individuals,  and  God  only 
knows  the  ultimate  results  of  influences  set  in  motion  or 
owing  their  origin  to  Mr.   Lester. 

H.  P.  A. 

Philadelphia,  Pa. 


Though  I  knew  Mr.  Lester  was  a  mighty  worker,  yet 
I  presumed  he  possessed  vigor  equal  to  the  tax  levied  daily 
upon  his  system ;  and  I  have  always  anticipated  a  hale  and 
hearty  old  age  for  him.  But  what  he  would  not  accord  to 
himself,  the  Lord  has  given  to  him — Rest!  Now  he  has 
entered  into  the  full  enjoyment  of"  Rest,  Refuge  and  Home." 

Whenever  my  thoughts  wandered  to  New  York,  I  always 
remembered  Mr.  Lester  as  a  much  prized  friend.     I  always 


58 

felt  better  for  meeting  him.  How  much  I  shall  miss  him  ! 
He  was  a  model  christian  business  man.  His  Christianity 
was  felt  under  all  circumstances.  He  daily  proved  that  a 
man  can  be  a  thorough  christian,  and  successful  in  business 
at  the  same  time.  • 

The  energy  displayed  in  the  store  was  given  also  to  the 
work  of  the  church.  He  was  a  tower  of  strength  to  his 
pastor — such  a  co-laborer  as  any  minister  would  be  proud  to 
possess.  Many  will  arise  to  call  him  blessed,  and  who  can 
estimate  the  number  of  stars  in  his  crown  of  rejoicing?  I 
have  gone  over  in  imagination  the  hundreds  of  different  per- 
sons for  whom  he  has  made  life  sweeter,  and  across  whose 
pathways  he  has  thrown  a  ray  of  sunlight. 

To  be  a  minister  of  good  cheer  is  to  be  a  minister  of  God  ; 
and  such  a  man  was  Mr.  J.  W.  Lester.  May  the  Lord  grant 
to  business  circles  and  to  the  church  many  such  men. 

Rev.  N.  B.  R. 
Troy,  N.  Y. 


[  From  a  Sunday  School  Scholar  ] . 

You  know  Mr.  Lester  was  an  exemplary  man  in  all 
respects,  therefore  we  looked  to  him  for  an  example  more 
than  we  ought :  also,  the  rest  of  the  church  folks  let  him  do 
too  much  of  the  work,  and  were  too  dependent  on  him,  not 
only  for  money  but  also  to  do  almost  all  the  thinking.  Now, 
somebody  else  must  do  the  thinking  and  acting,  and  there 


59 

will  be  more  than  one  who  will  be  willing  to  work  for  Jesus, 
and  thereby  obtain  a  starry  crown.  It  seems  as  though  at 
the  mention  of  Mr.  Lester's  name,  the  young  men  are  in- 
spired, and  I  wish  you  could  hear  some  of  them  speak,  and 
hear  their  resolves  to  work  with  a  will  and  build  up  the 
church  by  their  united  efforts. 

LILY  M. 


O,  how  I  have  felt  since  dear  Mr.  Lester's  death.  I  can- 
not express  my  loss.  In  him  I  have  lost  the  only  father  I 
ever  knew,  for  indeed  he  has  been  a  father  to  me  for  thirteen 
years. 

I  love  to  think  of  him  as  having  been  the  means  of  leading 
hundreds  to  Christ.  No  one  ever  left  the  world  of  whom 
it  could  be  more  appropriately  said  than  of  him — "I  have 
fought  a  good  fight,  I  have  kept  the  faith  :  henceforth  there 
is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteousness." 

H.  P.  T. 

Portland,  Me. 


I  can  say  honestly,  that  after  my  only  brother,  no  man 
living  had  such  a  hold  of  my  heart  as  Mr.  Lester. 

How  many  times  he  has  interested  himself  in  my  behalf 
I  remember  one  case.  One  night  I  came  to*prayer  meet- 
ing, jaded,  worried,  worn  out ;  my  face  (which  with  me  is 
always  a  tell-tale)  told  the  story.     Our  minister  called  upon 


6o 


me  the  very  first  to  engage  in  prayer.  I  had  to  comply  in 
a  few  feeble  utterances.  Some  three  months  after,  in  con- 
versation, the  subject  was  touched,  and  I  expressed  surprise 
that  in  my  miserable  state,  I  should  have  been  called  upon, 
at  that  time.  Mr.  L.  replied,  "  Man,  my  sympathies  were 
more  drawn  out  and  excited  by  that  helpless,  broken-up 
prayer  of  yours,  than  any  I  ever  heard  you  present !  " 

Panegyrics  upon  those  who  have  departed,  are  at  best,  in 
most  cases,  a  tissue  of  misrepresentations  ;  but  the  half  of  the 
truth,  as  I  can  testify,  was  not  told  in  regard  to  him. 

The  humble  christian,  the  faithful  friend,  the  true  citizen  — 

not  to  say  anything  of  his  own  private  home  virtues,  were  all 

united  in  him. 

H.  G.  F. 

Paris,  Fr.vnce. 


OBITUARY    NOTICES. 


[From  the  A\'70   York  Observer,  August  2lst,    1873]. 

Viewed  from  a  christian  stand-point,  Joseph  W.  Lester 
was  no  ordinary  man.  He  was  a  bright,  shining  hght  in  the 
Church  of  Christ,  to  which  his  whole  life  from  early  man- 
hood was  singularly  devoted.  His  entire  life  was  freely 
spent  in  his  divine  Master's  cause.  Hundreds  of  the  poor 
of  New  York,  who  came  within  the  sphere  of  his  charmed 
circle  of  usefulness,  can  bear  testimony  to  the  fact  that  his 
hand  was  ever  open  to  the  wants  of  the  needy,  many  if  not 
all  of  whom  he  led,  by  his  winning,  gentle  manner  and 
persuasive  eloquence,  to  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and  who  now 
rejoice  in  His  saving  grace.  It  is  impossible  to  do  anything 
like  justice  to  the  character  of  Mr.  Lester  in  an  obituary 
notice.  To  speak  of  his  christian  graces  and  many  acts  of 
christian  charity  would  fill  a  volume.  Truly  can  it  be  said 
of  him,  he  "fought  a  good  fight"  and  "kept  the  faith," 
and  is  now  wearing  that  crown  of  righteousness  reserved 
for  the  valiant  soldiers  of  the  Cross. 


62 


[  From  the  National  Temperance  Advocate^  September,    1873  ]. 

Mr.  Lester  had  been  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Managers 
of  the  National  Temperance  Society  since  its  organization, 
and  was,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  chairman  of  the  Finance 
Committee. 

He  was  one  of  the  most  efficient  members  of  the  Board  ; 
always  prompt,  ready  with  judicious  counsel,  genuine  sym- 
pathy and  generous  material  aid.  Much  of  the  success  and 
usefulness  of  the  National  Temperance  Society  and  Publica- 
tion House  has  been  due  to  his  hearty  co-operation  and 
valuable,  though  unostentatious,  labors  in  connection  with 
the  management  of  its  financial  affairs.  He  will  be  sadly 
missed  and  mourned  by  his  associates,  and  by  all  who  knew 
him.  The  temperance  cause  can  ill  afford,  at  the  present 
juncture,  to  lose  so  staunch  and  steadfast  a  supporter  and 
worker. 


[From  the  Sioiday  School  Times,  September  6th,   1873]. 

Joseph  W.  Lester,  our  beloved  superintendent,  is  dead. 
A  good  man,  a  great  man  has  fallen.  As  superintendent 
of  the  school — Allen  Street  Presbyterian — we  deplore  his 
loss,  and  cannot  fill  his  place.  Punctual,  practical,  kind, 
loving,  sympathizing,  with  a  pleasant  word  for  every  one, 
he  was  loved  by  all,  to  the  youngest  of  the  infant  class. 
He  was  modest,  humble,  abounding  with  "  charity  towards 
all,"  benevolent  beyond  others.     He  was  a  godly  man,  and 


in  his  closet  received  the  strength  which  he  asked  of  God, 
and  would  come  forth  with  countenance  beaming,  ready 
for  his  work,  and  equal  to  any  emergency. 

When  the  pinching  cold  of  winter  comes,  the  poor  of 
the  church  will  miss  him ;  "  For,"  said  one  of  the  deacons, 
"  wherever  I  went  I  found  that  his  footsteps  had  been 
before  me."  He  was  the  wise  counselor  in  the  Eldership. 
He  has  led  us  as  a  church  for  years  past  "  out  of  the 
depths"  (pecuniarily)  when  "deficiencies"  have  been  either 
large  or  small. 

Always  in  his  place  in  the  social  prayer  meeting,  his 
exhortations  —  short,  pointed,  earnest  —  carried  conviction  to 
all  who  heard  them  :  how  many  who  said,  "  It  did  me  good 
to  hear  him  talk."  If  we  turn  to  business,  we  hear  the  same 
story.  Mr.  Lester  was  a  superior  business  man,  and  was 
prospered  of  God.  We  believe  that  as  he  gave  away  he 
"  increased."  Many  young  men  attribute  their  success  in 
business  —  some  entirely,  some  largely  —  to  him.  Some  he 
established,  others  aided  materially,  others  assisted  by  sound 
judgment  and  advice. 

Let  us  emulate  his  virtues,  and  follow  him  as  he  fol- 
lowed Christ. 


[From    The  Hat,   Cap  and  Fur   Trade  Revieio,  September,    1873]. 

The  trade  has  suffered  a  great  loss  by  the  death  of 
Joseph  W.  Lester,  who  leaves  behind  him  an  untarnished 
name  and   reputation.     He  was  essentially  a  good,  worthy 


64 

citizen.  Hard  working  and  a  thorough  business  man,  he 
never  for  a  moment  forgot  that  Hfe  has  other  duties  besides 
mere  money-making,  and  so  devoted  himself  to  every  effort 
that  conduced  to  elevate  his  fellow-men.  Such  an  existence 
has  to  us  a  special  charm.  There  is  a  straightforward, 
honest  manliness  about  it  that  soars  above  the  miserable 
pettiness  of  our  every-day  life,  and  in  our  opinion  does, 
single-handed,  more  to  improve  the  general  welfare  than 
all  the  ill  considered  efforts  of  those  who  indulge  in  spas- 
modic fits  of  benevolence  and  religion.  No  higher  and 
nobler  testimony  of  Mr.  Lester's  usefulness  can  be  given 
than  the  following  paper  which,  at  his  death,  was  circu- 
lated among  the  trade : 

In  consequence  of  the  death  of  our  esteemed  fellow-citizen,  Joseph  W. 
Lester,  Esq.,  whose  loss  w-e  ao  sincerely  deplore,  and  in  testimony  of  our 
respect  for  his  exalted  worth  as  a  man,  his  usefulness  as  a  citizen,  his  unbending 
integrity  as  a  merchant,  and  his  amiable  qualities  as  a  friend,  we,  the  under- 
signed, manufacturers  and  wholesale  hat  dealers,  agree  to  withdraw  from  our 
labors  for  the  day,  and  to  close  our  respective  places  of  business,  at  the  hour 
of  I  o'clock,  on  Tuesday,  the  12th  instant,  for  the  purpose  of  attending  his 
funeral,  to  be  held  in  the  Presbyterian  church,  at  New  Rochelle,  at  2  o'clock, 
P.  M. 

[SIGNED    BY    FIFTY-ONE    FIRMS]. 


[From  the  New  York  Evangelist,  August  21st,    1S73  ]. 

Rarely  is  a  community  called  to  mourn  the  loss  of  so 
estimable  a  citizen  as  Joseph  W.  Lester. 

A  man  of  untiring  industry,  strict  integrity  and  of  eco- 
nomical   habits,    he    soon    attained    the    front    rank    in    his 


65 

calling,  and  acquired  a  competency.  While  his  counting- 
room  has  found  him  assiduous  in  the  discharge  of  its  daily 
duties  for  years  past,  the  fruits  of  his  efforts  have  been 
liberally  disseminated  among  benevolent  objects  in  unos- 
tentatious charity.  Recognized  as  a  most  exemplary  mer- 
chant while  living,  none  could  be  more  lamented  in  death. 
Few  have  succeeded  in  establishing  a  reputation  so  spot- 
less and  a  character  so  lovely. 

Identified  as  he  had  been  with  the  interests  of  the 
wholesale  hat  trade,  and  brought  into  daily  intercourse 
with  its  members  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century, 
none  knew  better  how  to  estimate  his  virtues  or  appreciate 
his  worth.  His  was  a  character  which  commanded  the 
respect,  love  and  confidence  of  all  classes  and  conditions 
of  men.  His  was  a  Christianity  which  reflected  from  within 
the  holy  emotions  of  a  pure  and  exalted  faith,  practically 
illustrating  in  daily  life  the  essence  and  value  of  true  re- 
ligion. Scrupulously  punctilious  in  all  his  engagements, 
the  important  and  minor  details  of  his  business  were  con- 
ducted upon  the  strictest  principles  of  rectitude  and  honor. 
His  was  a  life  that  embellished  the  counting-room,  dignified 
his  calling,  sweetened  intercourse,  and  indelibly  impressed  the 
beauty  and  influence  of  a  holy  example  upon  the  minds 
of  his  associates.  Unassuming,  meek,  gentle,  affable,  modest 
and  refined,  with  a  kind  word  for  all,  his  relations  with 
business  men  have  left  recollections  of  the  most  pleasing 
and  happy  character.  We  love  to  think  of  him  as  we 
saw  him  daily  moving,  with  quick,  elastic  step,  countenance 
radiant  with  inward  joy,  and  smiles  of  friendship  which  we 


66 


knew  were  pure,  because  reflected  from  a  heart  that  knew 
no  guile.  In  him  were  clustered  irresistible  graces,  which 
while  they  inspire  love,  magnetize  and  charm. 

Though  his  spirit  has  passed  beyond  that  bourn  from 
whence  no  pilgrim  returns,  his  influence  still  lives,  while 
the  recollections  of  his  virtues  are  enshrined  in  heart  and 
embalmed  in  memory. 


52rc .  315 

02-17-05  32180     4   I 


Press  of  C.  H.  Jones  Sf  Co.,  114  Fulton  Street,  New  i'ori  City. 


\ 


Princeton  Theological  Semmary-Speer  Lit 


1    1012  01043  1676 


^mktKmti 


